[Private Equity & Top Author Series] Servant Leadership Meets Private Equity With Adam Coffey 

Adam Coffey is the Chairman and CEO of The Chairman Group, a high-level peer network for business leaders. Over his 25-year career as a CEO, he has built four companies for nine private equity firms, completed 58 acquisitions, and led exits totaling billions of dollars. A #1 best-selling author, US Army veteran, and international speaker, Adam shares actionable strategies in private equity, M&A, and building high-performance cultures, blending military discipline with cutting-edge business expertise.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [3:34] Adam Coffey explains how military service forged his leadership foundation
• [9:52] The mentor at GE who convinced Adam not to quit and go entrepreneurial
• [12:53] The business plan Adam almost left GE to pursue
• [15:05] Why GE was the ultimate training ground for future CEOs
• [18:33] The biggest humility lessons founders learn with private equity
• [28:26] Why 73% of founders fail after a private equity transition
• [34:16] The three-step playbook for exponential company growth and exit
• [46:51] The four most common and costly acquisition mistakes entrepreneurs make

In this episode…

Scaling a company to a billion-dollar empire requires strategy, discipline, and execution. Many entrepreneurs struggle to know which levers to pull, which pitfalls to avoid, or how to adapt under pressure. How can leaders combine strong leadership, operational excellence, and smart acquisitions to achieve lasting growth?

According to Adam Coffey, a seasoned CEO and private equity expert, scaling a company requires disciplined leadership, operational rigor, and strategic acquisitions. He explains how mastering profit levers like pricing, margin expansion, and M&A strategy drives growth while avoiding pitfalls such as impatience or chasing “fixer-uppers.” By applying lessons from his military service and GE experience, Adam shows how humility, adaptability, and relentless execution create lasting value, offering entrepreneurs and executives a clear blueprint for building and selling high-performing companies.

In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Adam Coffey, Chairman and CEO of The Chairman Group, to discuss scaling businesses through private equity and strategic acquisitions. They explore growth playbooks, high-stakes deal execution, and the frameworks Adam uses to help founders and leadership teams multiply company value. Adam also shares insights on team culture, disciplined leadership, and navigating mergers and acquisitions for extraordinary exits.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Adam Coffey on LinkedIn | Website
• The Chairman Group™
• The Private Equity Playbook: Management’s Guide to Working with Private Equity by Adam Coffey
• The Exit-Strategy Playbook: The Definitive Guide to Selling Your Business by Adam Coffey
• Empire Builder: The Road to a Billion by Adam Coffey

Special mentions:

• Bob Nardelli on LinkedIn
• Gino Wickman on LinkedIn
• Wall Street

Related episodes:

• “[Private Equity Series] Building Enduring Businesses With Keith Burns” on the Inspired Insider Podcast
• “[Private Equity Series] Building Success and Diverse Leadership With Vivian Gonzalez” on the Inspired Insider Podcast
• “[Private Equity Series] Unlocking Real Estate’s Best-Kept Secret With Alice Chen” on the Inspired Insider Podcast

Quotable moments:

• “Humility is one of the first big lessons for founders selling a business with a PE sponsor.”
• “The magic is building a strong culture, taking care of people, and making shareholders a ton of money — all at the same time.”
• “If you want to quadruple your company’s value in five years, focus on growing earnings by 30% every year.”
• “Most under-utilized lever is price — raise it 5%, maintain volume, and you could increase profits by 50%.”
• “Success starts right here. Believe you can — it can happen to you. Good luck.”

Action steps:

1. Embrace humility and learning: Stay open to guidance to adapt, grow, and avoid common founder pitfalls.
2. Build a strategic toolkit: Master scaling and M&A methods to plan and execute with confidence.
3. Foster servant leadership and culture: Support your team and create a positive environment for long-term success.
4. Set clear acquisition criteria: Define goals and targets to avoid costly M&A mistakes.
5. Prioritize data-driven decisions: Use metrics and honest communication to lead proactively and thrive in uncertainty.

Episode Transcript

Intro: 00:15

You are listening to Inspired Insider with your host, Dr. Jeremy Weisz.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 00:22

Dr. Jeremy Weisz here, Founder ofInspiredInsider.com where I talk with inspirational entrepreneurs and leaders. Today is no different. I have Adam Coffey. You can check them out at ChairmanGroup.us or one of his main websites. AdamECoffey. c o f f e y .com.

And Adam, before I formally introduce you, I always like to point out other episodes of the podcast people should check out, since this is part of the private equity series. One of the ones, Keith Burns I had, and he talks about strategic business acquisitions, which Adam talks a lot about in his several books. We’ll kind of chat about that. Also, Vivian Gonzales talks about hiring and executive search and some of the executive search she does for these private equity backed companies. And Adam talks a lot about culture and how important culture in team members is in his work as well. And then Alice Chen talks about overlooked investment opportunities. So check some of those out on InspiredInsider.com.

This episode is brought to you by Rise25. At Rise25, we help businesses connect to their dream relationships and partnerships. We do that in a few ways. One, we’re an easy button for a company to launch and run a podcast. We do the strategy, accountability, and the full execution production. We’re also an easy button for a company’s corporate gifting, so we make gifting and staying top of mind for clients, key partners, prospects, even staff from a culture perspective. Easy and affordable. You just give us a list of the people. We do everything else. And Adam it’s not like a once a year type of gift. It’s like we like to send a campaign of gifts. So think 3 to 4 gifts a year for 4 to 5 years.

Okay, so for me, the number one thing in my life is relationships. I’m always looking at ways on how I can give to my best relationships. I found no better way to profile the people and companies I most admire on the podcast, and share with the world what they’re working on, and to sending them sweet treats in the mail. So go to Rise25.com or email [email protected].

I’m super excited to introduce Adam. Adam Coffey, he has over 25 years of experience as CEO. He’s built four companies for nine private equity firms. During the time period, he completed 58 acquisitions. His track record includes notable outcomes measured in the billions with a B and he’s got, he shared his knowledge really generously through, you know, his books, which I have listened to all of them actually. So The Private Equity Playbook, you can check it out. The Exit Strategy Playbook. The Private Equity Playbook has two editions and Empire Builder. So thank you, Adam, for joining me.

Adam Coffey: 03:08

Good to be here. You know, nice to meet you in person you know or in the digital world if you will. And hello to all your listeners out there I’m ready. Let’s do this.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 03:18

Let’s do it. So I want to, we’ll get into some of the examples. One of the things I was curious about after listening to your books is why the military? And we’re looking at a picture behind you there, but why the military to start your journey?

Adam Coffey: 03:34

Yeah, it’s a good question, you know. And so, pretty simple answer, really. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. Those were kind of my younger years. Graduated from high school in ‘82 and my street, everybody who lived on that street, you know, their dads either served in World War two or Korea.

My dad was a Navy guy. You know, who served in the Korean War and and so patriotism, you know, apple pie, Chevrolet, you know, was, you know, was full display.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 04:07

This is you right here, right Adam?

Adam Coffey: 04:09

Yeah. Yeah. That’s me.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 04:11

We’re on the AdamECoffey page. My Story page, look at this.

Adam Coffey: 04:13

Yeah, my dad. You know, my dad was a Navy guy, which is why I’m an Army guy. Right. You know, so it’s like, you know, don’t do what your dad does, you know, do something else. But, you know, my dad instilled a strong work ethic in me. I remember, you know, as I was approaching the age to drive, and I grew up in a fairly affluent family. And it’s like, you want a car. I’m not buying you a car. What are you going to do? You know, for a car? I had to go out and get a job.

You know, it’s like comes time for college. Well, what are you going to do? I went Navy ROTC to Notre Dame. You know, it’s like, well, I’m going to go Army then, you know? And there was just always this desire, you know, kind of built in from an early age, you know, to be patriotic, to want to, you know, to want to serve, you know, the movies I watched growing up, the TV shows were all glorifying World War II and, you know, things like that.

So I grew up a patriotic kid. If you saw me at 12 or 13, I’m running around in the woods wearing fatigues and a BB gun, you know. I belong to the NRA. It’s like we’re playing war games, you know, out in the woods. And it’s like. So it was just always kind of preordained. I always knew as a young teenager that I was going to go into the service right out of high school.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 05:19

What was a memorable story for you in the military?

Adam Coffey: 05:23

Well, you know, it was during the Cold War, so it was a different time in an era. Ronald Reagan was my commander in chief. And I’d say, you know, Ronald Reagan inspired a generation the same way Barack Obama did. You know, he inspired a generation selling hope. Ronald Reagan sold patriotism, you know, and that was at the height of the Cold War and, you know, the fall of the Berlin Wall and, you know, the collapse of what was the former Soviet Union.

So it was a very interesting time, you know, in American history and. You know, I, I remember one, you know, one time. So I was competing. Actually I was going for my Sergeant Stripe and I was actually soldier of the year. So, you know, I went through a promotion board, someone said, hey, this kid looks great. You know, send them to the soldier of the month competition. And I just kept going to competitions and I literally never lost. I just kept going, you know.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 06:21

What were the competitions like? What did you have to do?

Adam Coffey: 06:24

Oh, yeah. It’d be multiple soldiers coming from multiple commands. You know, there would be, you know, a military history. It’s almost like, you know, a sweepstakes for, you know, but it includes physical things. It includes, you know, uniform inspections, your records, your knowledge, you know, as a quite a competition.

And so I literally met everybody in my chain of command. But I’ll never forget that I was invited to speak at the 2nd Armored Division World War II reunion. And here I am as this young, you know, 18, 19, 20 year old, you know, and I’m giving a speech to literally all of the people who fought under George Patton, you know, General Patton. And, you know, they you know, they created the history, you know, that I was studying and it was a very moving, you know, humbling experience. And of course, they all made me their, you know, their mascot and, you know, fed me alcohol in massive quantities at night at the bar, you know, but it was fun. It was a fun time, you know.

So for me, the military was just I learned about discipline, teamwork, leadership without those base skills as an 18, 19, 20, 21 year old, I never hit CEO, you know, and I also, because I started as an enlisted guy, you know, right out of high school, I started at the bottom. I was a private E-1 and there is no lower form of life in the military than a private E-1 in the United States Army, other than maybe a second lieutenant, you know. And I say that jokingly.

I looked up and I saw bubble gum on the bottom of somebody else’s shoe. That’s how low I started. But it informed my thinking, you know, as I became a noncommissioned officer, an NCO, you know, I was a servant leader, you know, protect my squad, protect my troops, you know, and lead from the front. And as I worked my way up an org chart, I literally held every job a guy could hold on an organizational chart from truck driver to CEO. And I never forgot, you know, those lessons of servant leadership learned in the service and the fact that I was, you know, blue collar guy, you know, and non-commissioned officer working your way up.

I always valued my employees and the people in the trenches because I used to be one. And so I’d say you tie all that together and it informs my thinking. Today I’m a servant leader. I take care of people. I care, you know, genuinely care about people when I’m running a business or I’ve got thousands of employees. I care about their lives. I care about their futures. You know? I want to be a good steward to them.

Same time, though, I have to make money for shareholders. So I’m also a good steward to shareholders and recognize that in order for me to make the magic work, I have to do both at the same time. I have to build a strong culture, take care of people, be a good servant leader, articulate the vision you know, inspire people to want to achieve more. And I have to make shareholders a ton of money. And that’s the magic, I think, of my career. And it started at age 17, literally right out of high school in boot camp for my 18th birthday. You know, in the US Army.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 09:36

You know, you went on a GE. And I love to hear some advice you got from mentors at GE. I remember you saying there was one person, I think he used to play for the Cleveland Browns. And you were thinking of leaving, and he talked about you being.

Adam Coffey: 09:52

Yeah. So was Mike Martin. Mike Martin was his name. He played for the Cleveland Browns and he was a professional football player. But he had some injury problems. If I remember it was knees, but at any rate a very inspiring leader. Went on to be an executive at GE and then later on became a CEO. And he was my mentor. And I literally was within days of leaving GE, I was an engineer and I was really doing well, making a ton of money as a 21, 22, 23 year old. You know, I was making a ton of money. And at some point, you know, I had written a business plan.

I was about ready to quit, take off. And I got called to the principal’s office. So, you know, get on an airplane, fly from Detroit, come over to Cincinnati is where our little headquarters was for our piece of the empire. And, you know, he’s like, you know, hey, he was a new GM coming in. He was going through his personnel files. He was looking at what GE calls the code one performers, the top, you know, top couple of percent of employees. You know, that really made an impact in business.

And so he took me under his wing and he threw me off to GE Crotonville, which was GE, you know, college campus and you know, the John F Welch Leadership Academy, which they just recently closed, which was pretty amazing. But at any rate, back then the world’s business leaders, the top, the best. You remember GE’s number one fortune 500 list. Jack’s the world’s most admired CEO. GE’s top talent. The code one performers, they’re being developed. They’re being groomed. They’re being promoted quickly. They’re learning. You know, they’re learning how to run different types of businesses.

Back then, Crotonville, the courses were taught by business leaders, not by a cadre of professional, you know, teachers, but by the business leaders coming in, you know, every day and teaching people how to run a company, a global business. So that’s where I learned how to run a business. And so I was at the crossroad in my career and I decided, do I go off and be the entrepreneur? Do I stay at GE and become, you know, and compete against every Harvard MBA? You know, that’s out there. And I decided to stay at GE. And you know, I’m, you know, super glad I did.

I’m sure I would have been successful if I’d have gone the other path, but not to the same degree or same level. So GE taught me how to run a business at the time before tech existed, when Jack’s the world’s most admired, you know, CEO, GE is number one on the fortune 500 list. It’s doubling in size every three years. You know, it was a magical time to learn how to run a company. And then those skills parlayed into the 25 years in the four companies I built after.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 12:33

Do you remember, Adam, what was that original business plan like? What business at that point?

Adam Coffey: 12:40

I still have it. You still have it. It’s in a box in my garage. And periodically, you know, Jeremy, I’ll just, like, take the thing out and I’ll look at it and say, you know, would this have been successful?

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 12:52

What was it? What was the business?

Adam Coffey: 12:53

Well, I don’t mind telling you. So back at the time, this was in the early infancy days of home inspections. I had a good friend who was a real estate broker. He sold 800 homes a year. Well, 400 of those would get inspected. 800 of them would get appraised. And so I was an engineer. I went and got my builder’s license, became a licensed general contractor in 1995. I still hold that license. I just did my continuing education just this past week, you know, to renew my license for like the 30th year. And, you know, I never let a license expire. You know, I hold every license I’ve ever gotten in my life, even if I haven’t used it in 20 plus years.

So, at any rate, you know, I was going to start a home inspection company. He was going to be a partner. You know, I was going to get GE engineers. We were on call working, you know, weird hours for hospitals. But we also had a lot of downtime, kind of like a firefighter, you know, you would be on, be off, kind of like a nurse, you know, you know, on and off. And so I was getting a bunch of GE engineers to get their builders license. That was going to be my angle. There were no credentials back then. So every inspector was going to be a licensed, going to be an engineer and a licensed, you know, professional builder.

And that was the road. You know, I had it all laid out, you know, I’m sure I would have built a multi-million dollar business early in the days of the home inspection industry really taking off. Maybe it would have become a franchise. Who knows?

But I left that to learn how to be, you know, a professional manager in the fortune number one company run by the world’s most admired CEO. And I’m glad I did. You know, obviously it was the right, right choice, but it was Mike Martin, the former Cleveland Browns player who inspired me to stay. He didn’t know I was going to leave.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 14:42

Oh, he didn’t know.

Adam Coffey: 14:43

He didn’t know I was going to leave. You know, I at the time, I mean, he was just meeting his top performers and trying to figure out how to better utilize them in a business that he just took over. And so I became a protege of his.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 14:57

So after GE in the private equity world, what was maybe a first major milestone for you?

Adam Coffey: 15:05

Well, when I got recruited by private equity, you know, this is back when we had phones on our desks, not on our walls, and we didn’t walk around with something in front of our face, you know, and so I, you know, was recruited, you know, and I used to kid, but I honestly think there’s some truth to it. When people were graduating through Crotonville, I bet there was a janitor who got the name off of every door because they had, you know, the facility where you stayed was a part of the college, and they probably took all the names down and sold that list to somebody. Because magically, as soon as you got.

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